The Art of Letting Go
by Clementive
Summary: [AU] For famous model Ino Yamanaka, perfection is fat-free meals and high heels. That was until perfection almost killed her. Forced back into the small town of her childhood away from pricey dresses and diets, she is torn between her old ways and a lazy-ass artist she didn't know she'd left behind. ShikaIno and others.
1. Fallen Perfection

_**This is a pilot; I have never written a modern fic before so I don't know how this has turned out. **_

_**So, as for now, read, enjoy and review! :)**_

_**Pairings: Main: ShikaIno, Minor: NejiTen, NaruSaku.**_

**Disclaimer: I have tried to invent product names. If by any chance they do exist, I would like to declare that I don't own them. I also don't own Naruto. **

-X-

**Fallen Perfection  
**_by Clementive_

-X-

Ino Yamanaka could hold the stares from her fallen podium. She could walk in a perfect balanced gait, chin up, her too thin body still obeying her.

But she couldn't hold her own deep blue gaze.

The red light kept her within the reach of her unreadable eyes, her glowing skin. Another version of herself. She tried to duck herself, reaching for her cellphone, hoping for texts from her boyfriend or friends. However, the traffic slowed the bus and she couldn't avoid it. Plastered across the highway, her high cheek bones nagged her past the stench of the bus. She felt her cheeks burning as an old lady pointed at her, a little girl at her side blatantly gawking.

_Perfect blond hair, Hair Touch_, it read.

"Look, grandmother! It's her!" A whisper, an accusation whipped by her. Her eyes followed the lines of her fallen status; her prominent ribcage, the delicate and deadly presence of her bones beneath her skin.

Perfection or so she thought.

Her stomach grumbled and she wasn't sure anymore.

She pulled her sunglasses down on her nose, pretending to sleep. 'Stupid child,' she thought, crossing her arms over her chest, her loose clothes. Her neighbor shifted in his seat and she rolled her eyes, biting down an impatient snap.

She thought the world would rather be distracted by bombing and detached limbs than her name as a model. Her father's voice had promised, the world would carry on. _'Models fall all the time, honey. Don't worry!'_ She drank from his reassurance because they weren't ready to admit it out loud. Silence held them together since her mother's death.

They didn't talk, they listened.

They carried on, quickly, quietly so that ghosts wouldn't shake off their dust onto them.

Her stomach hurled. She winced, her hand reaching for the granola bar in her bag. An itch that she was used to overcome.

"Are you going to eat it or not, troublesome woman? Your nails fumbling with it is disturbing my sleep."

She narrowed her eyes at the humanoid form slouched on the seat next to hers. His jacket served as both a pillow and a sunshield. His hands were stained by dark paint and she winkled her nose when her eyes fell on his washed away jeans and his old stained sneakers. 'An artist that one,' she thought and she inwardly rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me? You have been sleeping for hours," she snapped emphasizing on the last word with her hands. "You should wake up, bastard!"

His hands slowly pushed away his jacket and he yawned loudly before focusing his dark orbs on her. Like the rest of his neglected appearance, his black shirt appeared worn. His strong jaw was covered by a faint dark beard and his dark spiky hair was thrown back in a ponytail. Each of his earlobes was pierced by a silver ring that somehow seemed familiar to her.

Somehow, he knocked the breath out of her and his stare made her uneasy. It was as if the strange boy waited for a specific response from her.

"What?"

His eyes turned to ice and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat stretching his long legs.

"You are a troublesome woman," he muttered closing his eyes.

Huffing, the blonde haired woman rolled her blue eyes.

"Why is a troublesome prom Queen travelling by bus to Konoha? Her rich husband couldn't afford the plane?"

"First, lazy bum, I was never a prom Queen. Second, I hate planes," she enumerated coldly reaching for a magazine in her leather purse. "Third, I'm not married." Roughly, she opened her magazine and plastered thinned women nagged her but at least they weren't her. They were fatter, imperfect in so many ways. "Fourth, I'm visiting my father here. Fifth, this is temporary so don't get your hopes up. I may be talking to you now, but I certainly won't tomorrow."

An amused flame burned in his orbs when he opened them again. He leaned forward, drawing a spiky shadow on models and beauty tips.

"Should we bet on that?"

"Bet on what?" she asked distractively as she flipped the page.

"Tomorrow, you will talk to me."

She paused and raised a perfect blond brow at his smirking face.

"Now, why would I do that?"

Lazily, he held up one finger in front of her face.

"First, because you know no one in this town. Being used to receiving constant attention to your troublesome prom Queen face, you will seek a face you already know." Outraged, she opened her mouth but closed it when he held up a second finger mocking her. "Second, there is one mall with 13 shops in this town so the probability of you running into me is high. Third, you will feel the troublesome urge to criticize my wardrobe. Fourth, your father will make you talk to me."

"Hell no!"

He snapped the magazine out of her hands fumbling through it.

"Hell yes. Fifth, you can't keep your big mouth shut for two minutes in a row."

The lazy man dropped the magazine on her laps. Lifeless blue orbs stared up at her. Deidara had shot the pictures for the bikini _Pierre_ collection and by then, he didn't need to retouch her anymore. When they were together, he would touch her body and repeated after each kiss how perfect it was.

"_What about me, Deidara? Am I perfect?"_ She used to ask, her cheeks burning.

"_You are that body, Ino. Don't get all poetic on me, hmm. Art is an explosion of beauty not old dead poets."_

"And someday, you will want to talk about it, troublesome woman."

His voice was barely a whisper but her blood turned to ice nonetheless. Ino weighed Deidara's words and the stranger's and she couldn't decide to which ones she could hang on. She flipped the pages ignoring his insistent glance.

"Sure, if you want to talk about bikini, we can make an appointment," she said sarcastically not even looking up when the dark haired man grimaced as if she had just slapped him.

Perfection's voice was hunger and it grew louder as the bus accelerated past her magnified face.

_Welcome to Konoha,_ a decaying sign proclaimed on the road.

-X-

She frowned, nipping distractively at her granola bar as she stared down at her empty screen. Still no texts. Maybe Deidara hadn't heard she was out of the hospital yet? Maybe his work kept him busy… The taste of oat turned to acid in her mouth and furtively, her eyes searched for a trash can.

Maybe, she wasn't perfect enough anymore.

"Ino!"

Dust swayed by her, masking the vibrant color of her shoes. Forcing a smile on her lips, she inwardly repeated that it was temporary as she swallowed painfully her last bite. Putting her phone and the rest of her bar back in her purse, the blond haired woman waved back at her father.

"Hi, daddy!"

Inoichi Yamanaka held her without a comment about her weight. When he released her, he bent down for her only bag.

"I thought you would bring more than one bag, sugar," he joked.

She licked her lips avoiding his gaze as she shrugged playfully. 'This is only temporary,' she repeated to herself like a mantra. 'Once I get better, I will go back.'

"Shikamaru! My, I almost didn't recognize you! I hope you aren't growing that beard for real? Where's your old man?"

She stood frozen as the lanky man that had sat with her the entire ride shook hands with her father. His dark eyes shifted to hers and she felt her cheeks burn.

She hadn't recognized him.

There was almost nothing left of the little boy she used to play with.

"_Fourth, your father will make you talk to me"_ Her stomach twisted in an unpleasing knot as a faint smirk brushed up his lips.

When they were children, their fathers' friendship forced them in the same playing ground before they could even learn to talk. They both worked in the police department of interrogation. When they were still children, they used to run around with their fathers' hats on their heads chasing one another until their fathers needed to go to work.

It all came back by flash, thin slivers of memories.

They had been partners of crime, best friends until she began modelling at eleven.

Then, they simply drifted apart.

"Shikamaru," she said uneasily nodding coldly.

"Ino," he greeted her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Long time no see."

Her father slapped the taller boy on the back unaware of the tension between the two of them.

"I will drive you home, Shikamaru. Do you have a bag?"

"There's no need, mister Yamanaka, my old man will be late as troublesome as he is but he will eventually get here."

"Ah, well if he doesn't, give me a call, alright?"

Lazily, Shikamaru nodded while yawning and they turned away walking towards the police car. Suddenly, Inoichi Yamanaka turned back to the teenager that had remained on his spot waiting for that moment.

"You know what? Tomorrow, why don't you drop by with your father? Like that you the two of you will be able to catch up. I will phone your old man, don't worry."

Their eyes met and she cursed under her breath. 'Always a step ahead, huh, Shikamaru?'

-X-

They drove in silence, the radio filling in the conversation for them. Ino looked out the window, the hunched trees felt both familiar and unfamiliar. From her apartment back in the capital, she could only see the gray urban version of her childhood memories. Tall trees for skyscrapers; one not quite the equivalent of the other; natural perfection against an urban one. The city was all about fights; quick rises and brutal falls.

"I'm a bit short-handed at the flower shop during the month, would you like to help? I will pay you, of course," his father said carefully, his fingers drumming on the wheel.

She knew it was part of the recommendations of the doctors: not to leave her alone but her back stiffened nonetheless. Her work was to model, not dig the ground looking for bulbs and seeds. She bit back her snappy reply when she caught worry creasing his forehead.

"Sure, daddy."

"Great! It would be just like when you were little, Ino! I promise."

She smiled despite the icy knot in her stomach. Her father could lay promises next to promises, but her phone remained quiet. Her enchanted world was carrying on; her friends, her agent even her boyfriend.

She caught a glimpse at herself in the review mirror.

She was pale and hungry.

-X-

Her stomach lurched, the two bites she had taken from her sandwich insufficient to mask her hunger. Yet, the cold chicken tasted too fat, the mayonnaise gagging her with the amount of fat she knew it contained.

It was a constant calculation: the amount of calorie and fat.

Ino held her chin up in the palm of her hand feeling the nervous stare of the delivery boy on her.

She knew she only needed to wait for the right moment.

The earthy humidity of the flowers somehow soothed her. It was an escape that balanced both vices and beauty. She heard the delivery boy closed the door and her elbow accurately pushed her sandwich in the trash can. The door chimed and she didn't even look up. 'That was close,' she thought.

"Yamanaka flower shop, how can I help you?" She said in a bored voice, her manicured nails flipping through a magazine. Quickly, her foot pushed the garbage can deeper under the counter.

"Hey, troublesome woman."

Ino wrinkled her little nose staring blankly at the page she had just turned.

"We didn't really bet, Shikamaru, so you didn't need to drive here to make your point," she said curtly pushing her magazine away. "After all, I will see you tonight."

"Actually, our fathers agreed on tomorrow so that Chouji and his old man could join us."

Sighing, she turned away from him rearranging the roses behind the counter. Chouji joined their little crew later on when he moved in with his family at 8. His father owned the only decent restaurant in town.

"I see. Well, then what do you want?"

The lazy boy pressed his palms on the counter. She noticed hints of light blue paint on his fingers. She couldn't understand what he had become. As they grew up, it became obvious that he was a genius despite his laziness. She thought he would have become rich by inventing some technological tool. She never imagined him as the artist type who would paint to the point of embedding colors in his skin.

"What if I told you I wanted something for my troublesome girlfriend?"

Ino snorted glancing up at him. His dark green shirt was ripped at the rim and his jeans were the same ones he wore yesterday.

"Is that genius talk for: I know I don't have a girlfriend because I dress like a hobo?"

They challenged one another as they used to before falling asleep on the couch when their fathers were still laughing late in the living room.

"Alright, troublesome woman, do you want to hang out with me and my friends?"

She cocked her head on the side, watching him curiously as he nervously drummed his fingers on the counter.

"Now, why would I want that?"

"Sakura is back from med school, troublesome woman, and I thought you would want to see her after all that time."

A vision of her pink haired friend flashed through her mind. Distractedly, she pressed her cool fingers against her temples slowly massaging them.

She was scared of what she would say about her loose clothes and pale skin.

Her nicknamed used to be "Pig" when they were in elementary school. It followed them to high school. But now, it sounded so imperfect in her mind.

The model wished she hadn't eaten those two bites.

"Are you also back from College for the summer?" She asked carefully keeping her face blank.

Ino had chosen modelling over studying and going to College. She had finished high school and packed her things, riding a bus towards the capital instead of heading to the state College. For an absurd reason, she felt for the first time a hint of jealousy at the thought of Sakura receiving her degree in a couple of years.

She felt left behind, useless and hungry; perfection nipping her bones.

The blond haired woman looked down at her manicured hands and wondered for the first time if it had been worth it.

Catwalks and fat free meals almost killed her after all.

"Yeah," he yawned scratching the back of his head. "So at what time do you finish, troublesome woman?"

-X-

_**I know that Shikamaru is mostly perceived as a future lawyer or businessman in terms of modern alternative universe, but I chose to make him an artist. I will try to make him believable, don't worry.**_

_**I hope you have enjoyed it. Feedback is appreciated! :)**_


	2. Controlled Perfection

_**I read about anorexia nervosa and bulimia before writing this chapter because I wanted to make things somehow coherent and logical. However, I'm no expert so if you notice some sort of incoherence or unclear facts, please send me a PM to let me know. **_

_**Thank you for all of you who took the take the time to comment the first chapter. It was much appreciated. :) I would also like to thank those who added my story to their favorite and/or alert list. **_

_**So here goes, the second chapter! Enjoy!**_

-X-

**Controlled Perfection  
**_by Clementive_

-X-

"Oh good, you are actually going to apologize to God for having such a crappy car and forcing me into it."

Shikamaru merely threw Ino a pointed look while turning off the ignition, silencing at the same time the loud rumble of the motor. His gestures were slow like his words, a perfect reflection of his laziness but it still unnerved the blond haired woman. It felt as if he was perpetually hesitating, over-thinking every step, every word he uttered.

Impatiently, she shifted in her seat tearing her glance from the shimmering stained glass windows of the grey modest church. Once more, she faced the neat fissure that ran across the dashboard, the paint stains on the seats and the melting pot of brushes and cloths spread on the back seats.

There were also his unflinching dark eyes, his calmness as if he was waiting for her to take a precise step, utter a precise word.

"Alright, Shika, why are we stopping in front of a church?"

"You've missed a lot of troublesome events." He calmly stated his fingers nervously tapping on the wheel. Suddenly, he turned towards her. He couldn't hold it anymore; his mouth tasted of ashen and floral perfume. "Do you mind if I smoke?"

Without waiting for an answer, he rolled down the window his fingers still twitching as she narrowed her eyes.

"You smoke now?!" Ino screeched wrinkling her small nose. "No way! I will stink, so don't you dare."

"My car, my rules," he smirked reaching across from her for the glove compartment. She violently slapped his hand away, he growled.

They glared at one another both retreated on their seat.

"Sakura is getting married in there at the end of the summer," he blurted out while closing his eyes.

Something inside her wavered past her stomach silent cries. A mental image of her pink haired friend flashed through her mind. The heat, the seat swallowed her as she turned her head towards the church.

Her phone remained silent and she felt kilometers away from Shikamaru's quiet presence. Inwardly, she shrivelled her hand clenching around her phone.

"To whom?" she asked incredulous in a small voice. "When? Why?"

"Naruto, end of summer, as I said, and I guess it's called troublesome love after all the time he spent chasing after her. Now, can I have a smoke?"

Stunned, she didn't react when he withdrew a package of cigarettes from the compartment in front of her.

"She hated him," she muttered in disbelief as he dragged the smoke inside his lungs. A sigh of relief escaped his lips.

"Things change, I guess."

She laughed dryly, turning her head back towards him.

"Sure, you are painting for crying out loud. At school, you barely seemed to be able to hold a pencil for more than two seconds. And that was the time you needed to fall asleep."

He winced turning his head away from her curious blue stare. He wished she wouldn't just remember that about him. He threw the bud of his cigarette on the sidewalk.

"I thought you would rather hear before you saw the ring."

"I'm fine, Shika," She smiled the smoke of his cigarette still drawing a vague aureole around her beauty, projecting its ashen colors across her skin. "I have a boyfriend. Forehead girl just beat me to the altar, that's all. I'm happy as uncommitted as I am."

Slowly, he nodded his fingers suddenly itching for a second cigarette. He couldn't face her fake smile and the thought of her thin body in another man's arms.

"I see."

The engine roared back to life and silence settled between them. 'You are unhappy, troublesome woman.'

-X-

The noise of the ceiling fans tempered the screeching humming of fake Mexican songs. A group of teenagers sat near the window in the empty restaurant.

"Now, Neji, you know what is missing in my life?" the dark haired waiter wolfishly grinned while suggestively moving his eyebrows. Uncomfortably, he shifted in his seat, his hand fumbling in his pocket. He mimicked a basketball shot as he threw his pad on the table next to his sombrero.

"For the last time, moron, no, I'm not giving you my cousin's phone number. She deserves a civilised man who treats woman with respect." The pearl eyed boy icily stated in a rich baritone voice.

"You should see it that way," Kiba Inuzuka leaned forward; arms crossed resting on the table. "She could heal me, Hyuuga."

The girl with two buns on top of her head along with a pink haired girl merely rolled their eyes.

"And once the healing process is completed, you will generously forward herpes to her," The brown haired girl said with a smirk. "Sweet, sweet romantic Inuzuka."

Their voices rose in a tumult in the empty restaurant; sarcasm mercilessly meddling with outraged colourful words. Suddenly, their argument died down when they noticed Ino and Shikamaru pushing opened the golden doors. His dark eyes roamed the room until he spotted them.

"Who's that?" Naruto asked loudly pointing not-so subtly at the pair who walked towards them.

"Hn. He likes them blond."

"And hot."

Sakura abruptly slammed her hands on the table. Out of reflex, Kiba Inuzuka protected his face but her eyes remained focused on the blond woman accompanying the lazy artist.

"Ino-Pig!"

Ino saw a flash of emerald orbs and then she was pulled into a tight hug. Quietly, Shikamaru bypassed the two women and nodded coldly at the rest of the people around the table.

"You are hurting me, Forehead girl!"

Suddenly, she faced a band of heterogeneous teenagers. A tomboy with two buns on top of her head sat next to a cold pearl eyed handsome man. She eyed them brows raised before shrugging unfazed. Across from them, Shikamaru had taken place next to a blond haired man who grinned at Sakura while her childhood friend began roaming the menu.

"Everyone this is Ino. Ino, this is Neji, Tenten and Kiba. Surely, you remember Naruto, my fiancé."

The pink haired woman blushed while Naruto's broad smile seemed to quieten the jealousy she felt.

"Ah! I remember you! You and Sakura used to fight all the time! Can you believe this, guys!"

"Hi, nice to meet you."

They greeted her except Neji who merely nodded to acknowledge her.

"You stupid pig!" the pink haired woman scowled as she forced her to sit between her and Shikamaru. "You never called!"

"For a brainy girl, you _are_ retarded! Who was I supposed to phone without your cellphone number, the eleventh secretary of your College?"

"You pig!"

"Billboard girl!"

They glared hard at one another making everyone around the table uneasy. Then, they laughed, lightening the tense atmosphere.

"Hey! I'm paying you to work not to smash open my eardrums. Get your ass in here, Inuzuka! Time to prep the blue nachos!" A loud voice laced with a thick accent ordered.

Grunting, Kiba reached across the table for his sombrero and his notepad. He slid out of the banquette, silver threads dancing around his broad chest. The model followed his movements with disdain tuning out the excited chatter of Sakura and Naruto. Along with his black Mexican-like costume, he wore bright red boots that matched the banquette.

The whole restaurant appeared to be a patchwork of Mexican stereotypes of Texan flavor. Stale cactus and llamas drawn on the walls created a contrast with the cowboy boots and the grand piano in the center of the room.

"Gotta work, muchachos. Call me over when you sissies are done screaming your lungs out."

Noticing her stare, he leaned towards her. She jolted at his sudden proximity and Shikamaru stiffened next to her.

"Don't get troublesome, Inuzuka."

"I'm sorry, beautiful, my heart is taken by another beauty. In another lifetime perhaps."

He strolled out of view before she could reply.

The brown haired girl in front of her who had been introduced as "Tenten" laughed. Her eyes sparkled deviously as she laced her fingers together.

"Let me introduce you, blondie, to some our golden rules," She started solemnly. "Firstly, ignoring Kiba is the first step to integrating our group."

"Personally, I prefer hitting him. It also works." Sakura smirked cracking her knuckles earning a nervous retreating movement from Naruto.

Tenten nodded, her hand fumbling with her buns. She adjusted them under the unflinching stare of the young man next to her.

"Secondly, you are taking a cookie dough milkshake and fake Mexican food."

"A cookie dough milkshake?" she repeated slowly.

Tenten leaned back forward, her hazel eyes unflinching.

"This is our tradition, blondie, so don't disappoint us. If you leave one drop… Women have died for less, you know?"

Suddenly, her gaze was made of steel and she had the impression that she could see the skeleton beneath her clothes.

Ino knew; they died from plastic surgeries gone wrong and self-inducted starvation.

Yet, her mind kept wheeling, calculating endlessly the amount of fat and calories in the beverage. How much exercise would suffice to burn it all?

Sakura furrowed her brows, her glance alternating from her wrist to her face. She turned away, focusing on Shikamaru's stained hands instead. 'Don't say anything, Forehead girl. Just don't.'

"Do you ever stop acting so childish, Tenten?" Neji grunted crossing his arms.

She pouted batting her eyelashes at him.

"Shush, boring man, she needed guidance. Nothing spicy, right?"

"Hn." He nodded closing his eyes.

"You are such a wuss, Hyuuga."

"How long have you been together?" Ino asked politely pointing at Tenten and Neji.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru breathed briefly glancing up at the frozen features of those concerned by her careless comment.

"We aren't together," the tomboy stated icily roughly turning the page of her menu.

"Hn. She wishes."

The table shook for the second time under the impact of Tenten's hand. The menu spun away, completely forgotten.

"What was that, Hyuuga?"

Shikamaru along with Sakura and Naruto rolled their eyes in unison as the woman's voice reached a higher peak.

"You are obviously attracted to me, Tenten, hence all the questioning about our relationship status."

"Here we go again," Sakura muttered her hands reaching for her glass of water.

Her ring sparkled in the dimmed light restaurant and Ino couldn't help but feel guilty of the conflicting feelings tearing her open inside.

"I'm not!"

"Hn."

"Don't 'hn' me, Neji! Use words, goddamn it!"

"You are," he rephrased calmly picking up the menu in front of her. "What would you like to eat?"

"A cocky Hyuuga on a skewer," the tomboy snapped taking the menu from him.

"You are basically making my point. The verb 'to eat' clearly has a sexual connotation in your sentence."

"You are the one who used that verb! What does that make you, Freud?"

They paused, glared at one another. Ino bit her below lip, an apology readily forming on her tongue.

"Hn. James Bond and popcorn, my place?"

"And gummy bears."

"Too childish."

"Hyuuga…"

"Hn. Fine, but I'm driving. You drive like a madwoman."

Ino rapidly blinked her mouth still slightly open as they slid off the banquette without another word. The cold man held the door for her and they disappeared from their view as it closed behind them.

"Basically, they don't know that they are a couple," Sakura answered in a monotone voice.

When her emerald eyes rested on her face, she waited for the violent slash, the speech that conveyed how things were either black or white for Sakura. When she shifted, Ino retreated in her seat, her back pressed against the vivid colour of the banquette, waiting.

"But now that you are here, it means you will help me choose my dress and all, right? Tenten is so useless with that kind of things, you know?"

The tension left her bones.

Briefly, Sakura's hopeful glance melted with the image she remembered of her; a lovesick young girl who believed their friendship wouldn't resist their shared admiration for a dark awesome boy.

They resisted, they held hands and they grew up. Except, she felt left behind, her love for Naruto revealing the hollowness of Deidara's feelings for her.

Her empty stomach clenched but a smile curved her perfect rosy lips.

"Of course, Billboard girl, with that forehead not everything will match and you are simply unaware of that."

Past the façade, she was thinking about how she was calculating how many grams she could hold down and how many she would need to purge.

Perfection was all about living between two worlds and escaping speeches that would ruin a chosen universe of few champagne sips and little food intake.

-X-

Ino lay on the grass, her right hand on her stomach, her pale golden hair meddling with the green scorched grass. Friendly concerned eyes had followed her all night, her control smashed to pieces.

Her stomach protested, full for the first time in years. She felt numb, comatose, as if she had just awoken from the moment her body gave up under her.

Flashes danced before her eyes and she vaguely remembered Deidara's blue eyes widening, his hand holding her head.

"_But the pose had been so perfect! Ino! Do you hear me, Ino?" _

The panic in a chorus of voices ceased and she was once more alone, kilometers away from her past.

The smoke of the barbecue twisted in the sky, contrasting brutally with the blood colored welkin. Orange thick clouds hung low, casting a pale dull light onto the hills and the country house of the Akimichi family. Laughter broke out by waves as the three old friends renewed their friendship, beer in hand, while Shikamaru's mother and Chouji's mother chatted more calmly on the porch, lulled by the fresh breeze.

Wherever, Ino set her pale glance, she felt a million years away. Years in the city seemed to have erased every part of her that once enjoyed running in the darkening humid forest with her two best friends. Now, a Chouji twenty pounds slimmer had retreated to the living room with Ayame, his girlfriend. And Shikamaru… His intelligent gaze seemed to reflect her difficulty to swallow each bite.

Suddenly, a spiky shadow ran across her skin. She gave him a harsh look. 'How freaking annoying, he keeps showing up.'

The model couldn't bear the weight of the food inside her but he was there. She needed to wait.

"For a troublesome loudmouth, you are awfully quiet tonight."

He handed a beer over to her, sitting down next to her. She mumbled a "thank you", her nails distractingly fumbling with the label of the cool bottle. She knew it contained approximately 300 calories. Calmly, he withdrew a package of cigarettes and she rolled her eyes.

"For a genius, you are awfully suicidal. Do you know cigarettes can give you lung cancer?"

The lazy young man blew the smoke out, an amused glint dancing in his orbs.

"If troublesome women didn't exist, I wouldn't have to smoke to relax. Cloud gazing would be enough, you know that, troublesome woman?"

The model dramatically huffed sitting back up. Letting go of the bottle of beer, she stretched her arm to snatch her cigarette out of his mouth but he merely inserted another one between his pinched lips, lightening it with one slow jerk of the wrist.

"What I know," She stated through clenched teeth as she put out the cigarette she was holding, "is that you should cut it out. Your wardrobe reflects terrible taste but on top of that, it stinks. You will never get a girlfriend, Shika."

"Should we bet on that?"

She rolled her eyes, lying back on the grass. His shoulder brushed hers as he shook with silent laughter. Annoyed, she smacked chest but easily, he caught her wrist. Their eyes met and his amusement turned to seriousness.

His long fingers were loose around her wrist.

"Ino…"

"Don't," she hissed withdrawing her wrist from his grasp.

His hand brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Wide-eyed, she watched as he held up a shred of grass in front of her. The ablaze reddish end of his cigarette drew unpleasantly accusatory shadows across his face.

"You have many of them in your hair, I thought you would like to know, as troublesome as you are."

As shaky fingers combed through her hair, silence settled between them.

"What do you paint?" She asked suddenly.

"Drop by my studio and I will show you. It's way too troublesome to explain."

His cigarette died and he reached for his beer without glancing up at her. He could feel her eyes travelling on his dark silhouette. The sun disappeared behind the hills and the dry air played in her unbound hair. It danced quietly around her shoulders and she kept hesitating.

The words wouldn't come.

She couldn't describe how heavy her stomach felt, how nauseating the sight of food was or how disgustingly greasy every nibble of food weighed on her tongue.

The words didn't come to anyone as they looked at her despite the baggy clothes and the feigned intakes of food. _Anorexia nervosa_.

"Let it go, Ino. Just let it go."

"_Wake up, Ino! Girls don't move, she's going to be fine. She's going to finish that pose. Hmm don't you dare break my art by moving! INO!"_

He watched the slow journey of the clouds and admired as always how easily they could be driven. Without bump or difficulty, they merely floated away. They could paint across the sky the art of letting go.

"It's not that easy," she murmured raising her head towards the rising moon, Deidara's words still harassing her.

He rolled up towards her, breaking through her defense as always. Before she could react, his hand cupped her cheek, brushing her hair off her face. His warmth tickled her skin.

"God, troublesome woman, what the hell happened to you?"

Somehow, there was no accusation in his voice, only concern.

-X-

Ino pressed the cellphone closer to her ear, her wild heartbeat filling the silence at the other side of the line. She heard the sigh, envisioned her agent leaning back against her seat her eyes closed as she distractedly played with her labret piercing.

"_Ino, I'm sorry_."

She stood alone in the blazing sun shivering from the coldness spreading in her veins. It erupted boldly in her mind, her world tumbling, her vision blackening.

Past the controlled intake of food, there was control of oneself. A perfectly malleable face that reflected what was expected.

Her lips whitened, trembling slightly as she leaned back against the pink wall behind her. Away from any glance, her mirror only reflected her smallest imperfection; the threat of a zit, her cheekbones not enhanced enough, her eyes not blue enough, her skin not pale enough.

She just wasn't enough.

"I can come back sooner if that's the problem."

She cleared her voice, wishing that wouldn't sound so pathetic, so addicted to catwalks and unaffordable dresses. Perfection was all about control, all about being watched and admired. Only in a crowd could she feel perfect, beautiful and sparkling.

Alone, she was nothing.

"_God, no that's not the problem!"_

Something clashed on the other side of the line, breaking the even white noise of the distance. Breathless, she folded her arm over her full belly, her nails scraping the thin skin of her other forearm.

"_The problem is you almost died. Wasn't one month in the hospital enough, Ino? Have you noticed just how much you have withered? You were such a beautiful flower._"

"What am I supposed to do now?" She desperately exclaimed savagely throwing a stuffed bunny on her bed. She wished all her memories of her childhood would burn, destroyed in her rage, so she could restart anew. Over and over. So no trace of her past imperfection would remain. "Stay with my dad until the fucking end of the world? Work with flowers? This is my career we are talking about, Konan! Just find me something, do _your_ job."

"_What are you supposed to do_?" Konan repeated slowly. "_Eat and live, Ino. I thought you would know that much after all that happened to you_."

The line abruptly died and she could feel Chouza's food rebelling inside her. Her mind whirled as she made her way to the bathroom tightly shutting the door behind her. Waves of nausea assaulted her, as she panted her eyes feverishly looking for the missing bathroom scale.

How much weight did she gain? How much fat did she allow to blur the line between perfection and the ugliness she had always wished to peel off her skin?

Tears of frustration threatened to ripple her reflection as she pulled her hair back. She paused as always, her hands quivering on the cool porcelain of the toilet.

As she retched silently, she thought of Deidara, Konan and all of her friends in the capital that shared her habit. Then, the image of Shikamaru swept them all away and she was forced to face his words over and over.

Past the relief of control, sobs tore her throat.

"_God, troublesome woman, what the hell happened to you?" _

-X-

_**I'm not used to handling so many characters at once, so if the restaurant scene seemed jumpy or incoherent, my deepest apology. I tried, I swear.**_

_**I didn't plan to make Hinata appear in this story until I thought of a Kiba-womanizer. Now, she may or may not briefly appear at the end of this story. **_

_**I hope you've enjoyed it! Feedback is always appreciated, so please take the time to review. ^_^**_


	3. Shadowy Perfection

_**Surprisingly, chapters seem to get longer and longer… Anyhow, please enjoy! :)**_

_**Disclaim: Two lines from two different movies are quoted in this chapter: the first one from the Blue Brothers and the second one from Jaws. I would thus like to disclaim that I don't own those quotes and all rights are reserved to their original authors. **_

**-X-**

**Shadowy Perfection  
**_**by Clementive**_

_**3 years ago…**_

The music bounced savagely in her crane; a sweaty, slow dance animated the mashed-up bodies around her. Lights quivered in the rendering darkness, she blinked rapidly, mesmerized by the glimmering dancers swimming in a sea of colours. Her small town disappeared in the fake mist at her feet, excitation rushed through her veins. Before she could make a step towards the dancers her friend caught her arm.

Kin pressed her mouth on her ear, shouting above the loud music.

"We are going to the second floor." She pointed the silver story case on the opposite side of the hot room. "Other models and photographs are there."

Her firm hand still on her arm pulled her across the sea of people, not bothering to apologize as she made their way through it. Ino's cheeks burned from the heat but her head felt light, her hair in a messy bun at the top of her head. Kin had said it would enhance her slender neck. She felt like water, moving through the undisturbed scenery of dance, alcohol and beauty.

When they reached the tall broad bouncer, the black haired woman let go of her wrists and muttered their names at his ear earning only a sharp nod in return. Their heels clicked soundlessly on the stairwell and the blond haired woman erupted in laughter. Excitement flushed her skin.

She was under-age and finally getting to see the underground of her profession. Invitations to such events were rare and only distributed among the most famous of models. After a few months in the city, her income was enough but she was hungry for more. Her jobs were still restricted to almost anonymous magazines and she only appeared twice in the newspaper for a college advertisement.

'All of this ends tonight.'

The cool air of the night caressed her face when they erupted on the roof. Trapped in fake foliage were purple and blue light bulbs. The dance floor was almost empty, many were simple leaning against the bar while others chattered around small tables. The ground bounced below their thin heels. There was a sense of intimacy and artifice in the way they moved; a graceful hint of intoxication and mysterious smiles.

They first appeared to her as quiet elegant fathoms.

Kin smirked throwing her a cold look.

"Don't look so engrossed by it all, country girl, or they will know you're new and eat you alive."

Then she pointed discreetly towards the bar.

"This is Deidara, photographer for _Modish_."

She gasped at the broad shoulders and confidence wrapped around his aura as he leaned forward in the conversation the tall man was having with a short thin woman. She smiled meekly, her cheeks flushed. Her mouth moved slightly but he seemed to be most of the talk, gesturing. For the second time in her life, Ino's heart fluttered and then pale blue eyes rose as if feeling her stare. Briefly, their eyes met.

Kin chose that moment to drag her in the opposite direction. His eyes returned to the face of his date and Ino hit the brick wall of the next building. Its cool smoothness calmed the fluctuation of her heartbeat. She glared hard at the black haired model in front of her.

"What the hell was that for?" She panted, strands of hair tickling her neck and cheeks.

"You are a bit too fat for his taste for now, but he will come to you," Kin shrugged inspecting her nails. "He's a weakness for new recruits. Don't give in too easily or he will get bored. I didn't expect him to notice you this fast though."

"Fat?" Ino articulated slowly pulling her sleeve back on her shoulder. The silver rings around her wrists clicking softly.

"You wanted to see our world, this is it, country girl."

Then she saw it past the foliage, the dug in cheeks, the sweaty glittering bony shoulders rolling back and forth at each erupting giggle. Their drinks were untouched, only their lips glistened from alcohol and this world spun in front of her, clashing savagely with the bouncing music of downstairs. They mastered every inch of their skin while below only chaos ruled.

At that point, they appeared as the pillars of another world, one that rose above ground tainted by purple and blue dancing freckles.

"I won't look like them," she muttered outraged. Thin legs crossed and uncrossed and she could feel the movement of catwalks in them. They were those catwalks that she wanted. "I'm not that stupid. They look sick!"

Kin cocked her own narrow face on the side, her orbs as empty as her smile. Her throat knew nausea, her body moved along with her cravings. At that moment, Ino didn't know which one of them was the most sickened by small busts and narrow waists.

She wished she wouldn't find them so perfect, vampire-like in their attire.

"Of course, you won't."

The thought slowly sneaked in her mind that they were all hungry for more. Hungry for fame and beauty.

"After all, perfection is a capricious mistress and you may not have what it takes to please her."

-X-

_**Present time…**_

"Your flowers are dying. You are watering them too much," Ino said flatly as she pushed herself up.

There was something utterly reassuring about the pacing, standing next to the window and then, leaning against the warm glass. The sun was her spot light and her pacing, her catwalks; everything that she missed about the capital. The movements of her body would keep her mind whirling but dark red orbs followed her and she felt trapped once more in her own flesh, trapped by her deepening hunger.

It sunk her dry but her sense of control dulled it all.

"So far, Ino, you have talked to me about 'Forehead-girl', 'Tomboy-bun-girl', 'Freaky-eyed-boy', 'Genius-idiot-Shikamaru' and" Kurenai fumbled through her notes, her pen clicking softly against her notepad spread before her. "And 'Red-cowboy-boots-waiter'. And now my flowers. How about you start talking about yourself, now? This wouldn't be called therapy otherwise, now would it?"

She kept her voice light patting the spot on her turquoise-blue couch where the model had been moments ago. Absent-mindedly, she played with the delicate necklace around her neck, her blue eyes once more lingering on the clock on the pale wall. The psychologist sighed and closed her notepad, lacing her fingers instead on her prominent pregnant belly.

Its shape and weight disturbed and she thought of her future. Would she ever willingly become so fat for nine months long?

"Time will only appear to go by slower if you keep looking at that clock. Now, please sit."

Ino pouted but nonetheless sat back facing once more Kurenai. She looked around her at the bookcases instead, at the diploma, then on the certificate from the order of the psychologists of the state. The movements eased it all; she felt she could keep walking just as before, ignoring the stare and the conscious understanding of her disease. Then, there was Shikamaru and his dark eyes that stopped her every time, mid-track. Where everything could catch on to her.

'_What the hell happened to you, troublesome woman?'_

"Ino? What is on your mind?"

"Konan fired me, my boyfriend seemed to have forgotten I exist and I'm sick and tired of having grease and earth on my hands. There, are you happy, Kurenai?" She exclaimed dryly, her hand reaching for her necklace for the second time.

She narrowed her eyes while the older woman's face remained neutral. Sometimes, she felt the urge to throw something, a book or a vase, anything at her face to earn a reaction that would match the wave of emotions assaulting her inside.

How could that woman remain calm while treating patients that willingly unleash their darkest demons on her shoulders?

How could she remain so calm with this prominent belly of hers?

"Again, you are deflecting your emotional response on others. How do _you_ feel?"

"I got fired and dumped, what do you think?"

"Put a name on that emotion you are feeling, Ino."

"God, why do I have to name obvious things?" She shouted, exasperated by the doctor's patience. "Don't you hear the same goddamn emotions a hundred times per day from depressive wackos?"

"I only treat anorexic patients such as you, Ino," she replied unfazed, her fingers slowly spinning her pen. "And only a few of those patients also suffer from depression."

Her pendant rested back against her icy skin. She paled thinking of all the things, her father would rather say than mention her demon, her illness devouring her bones. Of all he would rather promise her than to have to hear her expressed her discomfort, her hunger or her frenetic search for a scale.

That word alone weighed a tone on her mind, it outlined her rib cage. Whenever she looked at herself in the mirror, she saw it plastered on her cheekbone. Not good enough, not perfect enough, not tall or thin enough. Then, there were all those numbers that calculate her fat intake, her calorie intake, her weight and height. They were numbers that could define her past the impression her face was missing something essential.

"I feel fat."

Perfection.

In every pore of her skin, where she would feel perfection, she saw nothing of the sort.

Slowly, Kurenai's long fingers reached over her desk and took out a small red object. As it dangled before her narrowed eyes at the end of a golden key chain, she could make out the Japanese inscription on the side of the toy.

"What the hell is that?" She was still suffocating and the doctor remained cool, slightly smiling the moment she dropped the toy on Ino's laps. In her childhood, she remembered seeing similar gadgets in some boys' hands but the trend had died rapidly when teachers started confiscating them.

"A tamagotchi."

"What?" She asked incredulous.

"It's a digital pet that needs sleep, food and games," She explained slowly, her pen running on her page. Engrossed by her note taking, she didn't look up at Ino's reddening face. "This is your assignment for the next two weeks. Try not to kill it too often."

"Hell no! This is ridiculous!"

"Would you rather be hospitalized again?" This time, the doctor's stare was cold as it met her flamboyant one. The pen stopped on the page and the blond haired woman briefly flinched. "You've lost weight, Ino. According to your previous doctor's notes you were stabilized and that is not what I see. Since you came here and you agreed to living with your father for a while, I'm giving you this chance. I see efforts but you have to meet me half way here."

"Fine." Ino's jaw unclenched and threw the toy in her purse falling back against the cushions of the couch. "Fine." She repeated softly, her glance directed towards the window.

-X-

"Where's that bastard? He works on Wednesday, right?"

Ino slowly mixed the creamy milkshake with her straw. Mischievous eyes looked past her blond head while Sakura sighed deeply.

The soft wind from the fan above their head blew the light blouse Ino was wearing. The metallic sound of forks and knives filled the place as the lunch hour brought in more and more customers. The blond haired woman was genuinely surprised by the number of people pushing open the door. The décor was old-fashioned and waiters ran around in colored boots.

Then, the sound startled her. The girls in front of her merely shot her a curious look as she reddened. 'Stupid Kurenai, giving me this annoying toy.' She discreetly withdrew the tamagotchi from her purse and kept it under the table, away from her friends' view.

"Tennie, just drop it."

"_We're on a mission from God, _Sakura" Tenten quoted in a serious tone, her eyes still searching for her target.

Sakura's nervousness unwrapped in frantic hand gestures. She thought of her dress, of her shoes, hairstyle, all the details she hadn't chosen yet. She bit her below lip expecting Ino to jump in but her glance remained focused downwards.

"Anyhow, that bastard has to pay!"

The creature needed food. Again and again, the annoying toy buzzed and asked for snacks, medicine and games. So far, the model was at her third creature; the two previous ones having died respectively from illness and hunger. 'She should have given me a plant instead. At least that, I can take care of.' But suddenly, she was so sure; she had had the toy for less than a day.

Red-faced, Sakura sighed impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are just being childish again, movie freak."

"What did he do exactly?" Ino asked distractingly, her nails hitting the buttons on the small screen. She took a small sip of her cookie dough milkshake and inwardly she flinched at the sweetness of the drink.

Restlessly, Tenten pushed herself up, her head suddenly bumping against hers.

"Is that a tamagotchi?"

"I'm trying to see if I'm ready for caring for a cat," Ino muttered lamely, the skin of her cheeks burning under the surprise glance she received from the two teenagers.

"Ino-Pig with a cat," her old friend smirked flipping her pink hair over her shoulder. "I thought the only person you could care for is yourself."

Inwardly, she winced as she gave the digital pet its snack of the day. 'That's the problem, Sakura. I can't anymore.' She cleared her throat suddenly wondering how the pink haired woman could be so blind to the skeleton beneath her clothes. Her old friend kept calling her "pig" as if nothing had changed, but everything felt so different. There was the saloon-like restaurant and all her friends that crackled; their chemistry drastically contrasting with the cocktails and superfluous talk of her model's friends.

"What happened, Tenten?" She repeated coolly, her blond bangs veiling her expression.

She envied their world. Friendship and love appeared so easy for them. Warm and comfortable in its own peculiar way.

"Kiba-dog checked my phone for Neji's cousin number and now Neji believes I willingly gave him her digits."

"And?"

She blinked rapidly. There was so much she didn't understand about their interaction especially regarding Neji and Tenten. There were times when his eyes would only softer in her presence and in parallel, times when Tenten would only calm down when leaning back against him.

"And!?" she threw her hands in the air in a dramatic way. "And a mad Neji is a cranky Neji. And a cranky Neji is a Neji who refuses to give me lifts or save me from Sakura's bridesmaid nightmare," Tenten growled earning a light punch on her shoulder from the pink haired young woman on her left.

"Hey!"

"That's it! We are going shopping now!" Her hands punctuated her anger onto the table. "You are only annoying Kiba to get away from your duty as my bridesmaid. Let go of that toy and get your purse, Ino-Pig!"

"Goddamn it, Sakura! Stop pulling my arm or it will dislocate."

She smirked at the sight of her old friend dragging the tomboy out of the restaurant. She drew a bill from her purse and slipped it under her drink. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about friendship while shopping.

-X-

The mall was slightly bigger than she remembered as their little group approached it. By then, Sakura's babbling and Tenten's constant eye-rolling and movie quotes kept her busy, unfocused on her own obsessive thoughts. She learned of gossips about people she didn't know or didn't remember.

"Well, at least, they have finally installed the conditioning air in here," she said relieved by the sudden coolness after the harsh sun outside.

"HELLO BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS!"

The loud voiced vibrated unpleasantly in her eardrums and Sakura's eyebrows twitched punching the source of the noise. Tenten, on the other hand, seemed barely startled.

"Lee… What did we say about yelling?"

"Welcome beautiful flowers," the strange boy repeated exaggeratedly low with his thumb up, rapidly recovering from the pink haired woman's punch. He held a kiosk of pamphlets about summer activities and classes held in the area. Ino watched horrified the bouncy happiness of Rock Lee. Her attention was divided between the awful green outfit, tight around his somehow muscular body and the thick eyebrows that made his face ungraceful. 'But he's so solid on his feet. It's like he doesn't care.'

"Would you be interested by Maito Gai's new youthful class of martial arts?"

"No," Ino and Sakura shouted in unison.

He pouted, his arm retracting next to his body.

"What about squirrels training? A youthful activity for this summer!"

"No." The answer remained firm despite his apparent excitement.

Big black eyes lost their glint and inwardly Ino felt herself wince. There was something deeply endearing about the teenager's innocence and happiness.

"Doing nothing during the summer is unyouthful!" The boy whined, his big hopeful eyes finding Tenten's glance.

"Fine, we will take a pamphlet, Lee. If you promise me you won't yell at anymore customer."

"Yosh, beautiful flower of autumn! I promise! If I don't respect my promise I will do 500 push-ups and run twenty kilometers!" He gave her a thumb-up and shoved three pamphlets in their hands.

Loudly, he waved them good-bye and turned excitedly towards other people walking in the mall. Once they were near the only bridal shop in the mall, Ino turned abruptly towards Tenten and Sakura.

"What the hell was that?"

"I took many martial art classes with Lee. Once you get to know him, he's just a sweet kid with a lot of energy."

"What I meant was, did he really mean what he said? Doing those laps and push-ups."

"Yup," Tenten nodded gravely. "That's just how Lee is."

Troubled, Ino froze for a moment while her friends walked in the shop. She never thought 'just being someone' would be easy for anyone. Yet, her blue eyes found no wavering in Lee's excited gestures and broad smiles.

She saw constancy, she saw happiness.

She looked down at her hands and at the thin bones moving beneath the skin. For the first time in a while, she wondered who she was, how could she have wavered, withered to this point, to this weight.

"You coming, Ino?"

Tearing her glance from the strange boy dressed in green, she gave her old childhood friend a small smile.

"Ready to make this forehead look good, Sakura?"

-X-

"I think_ we're gonna need a bigger boat_," Tenten murmured to herself shutting her eyes at the harassing questions of the pink haired fiancée.

"You know you're late, forehead-girl?" Ino snapped finally cutting through the whines and curses of her friend. "We are two months away from your wedding and you still don't have your dress."

"Shut up!" the nervous answer was muffled by a soft curse. "This won't do either!"

The plastic of the hanger roughly meeting the white door of Sakura's changing cabin. Methodically, Ino removed the dress and set it on an already-high pile of muslin and white silk fabric. She let her hand linger on the silk for a moment thinking of how it would feel on her skin. A vivid image of Kurenai belly made her withdraw her hand brusquely.

She could not think of marrying at this point.

Tenten faced the Sakura's white cabin, leaning back on her seat. A bored expression plastered on her face, she only grunted answers when needed. The blond haired woman sat back on her chair. By interval, her red toy and the older girl's phone buzzed. The chorus was punctuated of Sakura's thinning patience.

"Would you mind shutting off your toys?"

They chose to ignore her.

"Is that Neji again?" Pink lips drew a predatory smirk.

"He's just making sure I'm suffering." She shrugged but the phone quickly disappeared in her pocket.

"For the twentieth times in half an hour? I think not, girl."

"Oh, he's mad at her, Ino. Usually, it's every twenty seconds," Sakura's voice gave in to laughter. They heard a rush of fabric while the tomboy's hands balled into fists.

"For the last time: we are best friends," Tenten snapped, her features molding into a cold mask. "So cut it out, you two."

"Sure, you are," the model examined her nails waiting for her to relax on her side before attacking again. Sakura huffed in the cabin kicking off her shoes. "Then, you wouldn't mind me considering dating him? If there's absolutely nothing going on between you two, that's it."

A blank expression turned towards her and she wished she could take her words back. Past the darkening orbs, she finally noticed the black baggy clothes and the lustrous hair curled in two buns. In her appearance there was something that reminded her of herself; it was all about hiding the faults, soothing the edges.

"Knock yourself out."

She could see her nails piercing the thin skin of her arms despite of her flat voice.

"Tenten, I-"

Suddenly, Sakura stepped out of her cabin dressed in white interruption her. The dress encircled her small waist, softening the curves of her body. The muslin remained discreet in the pool of fabric at her feet.

"So what do you think?" She asked softly, in a pool of soft fabric.

Sakura turned on her heels mesmerized by her own image, her glittering aura and when she imagined Naruto next to her, she smiled widely.

"It's perfect," Ino breathed.

Somehow, she wished she had Lee's boasting voice to say it without feeling so lonely and vulnerable.

-X-

"Shika? Your mom told me I could take the key from under the rug."

Her loud voice still echoed in the widely lit studio when her eyes fell on his canvases spilled onto the floor of his living room. Head cocked on the side, she approached the dark forms, the sun softly illuminating the white background.

They first appeared to her as spilled chaotic stains of paint.

Ino opened her mouth, partly disgusted by what she was seeing. Then she recognized the forms for trees and humans. The breath was knocked out of her and she leaned forward her fingers inches from the rough edges Shikamaru's brush had left behind.

Shadows of trees, cities, sunset and humans embedded each canvas.

They were intimate, powerful, bent as reflected creatures guarding the mysterious world of darkness and secrets.

He painted a parallel universe of counter-imperfection or counter-perfection. She couldn't decide yet as she stepped between canvases, dark stains following her like quivering shadows. The living room had a small television and a wide dark couch buried under sketches and textbooks. There were only two doors in the loft, next to one another in the darkest part of the joined main rooms. Curious blue orbs plunged into the world of her lazy friend. The apartment smelled of peppermint and paint and it was now familiar to her. Brushes floated in pot of water on the counter of the kitchen. The elongated windows didn't filter the sun; there was no drapes veiling his view of the city.

Entranced, she wondered how much time he had stood in front of his windows, searching for the mildest shadow in the city to capture it onto a white background. She blinked, looking around her as if it were a world of graceful dancing shadows.

"Shika?" Ino repeated as she approached the hallway. A silver rim spilled its light from under the first door. "Your car is outside, I assumed…"

Slowly, she looked over her shoulders, her curiosity eating every corner of her mind.

"Shika?" She repeated one last time before opening the door.

She regretted it when she saw the blue sea of shadows staring back at her. A cold vein flowed in her veins and she felt like screaming, like pouncing the walls, except there was none between her and her portrait. There were two doors and her shadows delving in the corner of her painted eyes. Two sapphire pools that had tainted Shikamaru's hands for the last two days.

Her eyes followed the flowing range of colours highlighting the shadows devouring her flesh. Her heartbeat hissed in her mind and she was suffocating.

At that point, they appeared as the rusty crumbling pillars of her own world.

"That's a private collection, you know, troublesome woman," Shikamaru whispered coldly in her ear.

-X-

_**Thank you for reading! :) As always, criticism is appreciated and welcomed with open arms. I will try to update faster next time, I promise. I know it has been a short while and all. **_

_**I'm curious to see which ones of you recognized the lines Tenten has quoted in this chapter. ;)**_


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